Malamutes are one majestic and fluffy dog! I have a soft spot for these gentle giants... I love their thick coats, mannerisms, and intelligence.
I decided to write about this magnificent breed today for a couple reasons: One, a lot of people get Malamutes and Huskies confused- I wanted to clear the two breeds up. Second, they're such an interesting Breed and I always have a lot of fun looking into certain dog's "histories"; seeing where they originated from and learning cool facts about them!
Malamutes are one of the oldest Arctic Sled Dogs known to history. Their forebears crossed over a land bridge from Siberia to Alaska, with native people thousands of years ago. One tribe called, Mahlemuts (photo above), settled in the northeastern area of Seward Peninsula. It was there, that the breed was developed. The dogs were used for many things such as: hunting seals, chasing away Polar Bears, and pulling heavy sleds that were crammed with food and supplies.
Rumor has it that they're one of the oldest dog breeds whose original looks haven't change too much. The reason being because when The Gold Rush happened in 1896, that brought a large variety of dogs to Alaska of many sizes and breeds, who could survive the weather. Many native dogs were interbred with these dogs. The Mahlemuts clan was a relatively isolated tribe, so the Alaskan Mahlemutes survived the dog mix-up better than other breeds. Hence, keeping their looks original.
Males stand 25 inches at the shoulder, and should weigh around 85 pounds...
Females tend to stand around 23 inches high, and weigh 75 pounds. However, it's not unusual for a well-muscled adult to top 100 pounds. In some cases they can even reach 140 pounds! Now that's a big dog.
However, this is a breed that I wouldn't recommend looking into, if you don't have a lot of dog experience, or don't know much about dog behavior. Malamutes are very intelligent. That, being combined with being high energy, and stubborn,can get overwhelming for new dog owners. They take a lot of patience and training, and do best in situations where they have plenty of room and opportunities for exercise so they don't become restless.
One thing you do have to keep in mind if you decide to get this breed, is they can become bored very easily.
If you've been around the block a few times and want to give a Malamute a try, I'd say go for it! With strong leadership, coming up with daily energy burning activities, and having a firm Alpha presence, they could turn out to be the best dog you ever owned. ... So you've all been waiting for it, what's the difference between Malamutes and Huskies?!
Husky(left)
Malamute (right)
Well, there's many differences but one of the most obvious is their size. Malamutes are often 2-3 times bigger than any purebred Husky. They have a larger body, thicker coat, and are more closely related to wolves. Oftentimes, Malamutes are the breed people use in movies to play Wolves. Typically, Malamutes are prone to having brown eyes only, where as the Husky can have blue and brown eyes- sometimes being multicolored. Visually, Malamutes are more appealing to the eye. They have more variety when it comes to their coats because there's three different lengths.
I hope you learned a thing or two from this blog! I'm still trying to decide if I should get a Malamute or Husky; it's such a hard decision. All I know is that it's going to have to be later on in life, when I have plenty of space for it to roam and lots of time to dedicate to training and bonding activities.
I'll have one someday though, and I'm very much looking forward to it. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your evenings.
Talk to you later,
Shaunte'
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